Rotary vortex or hydrocyclone separators have been used to separate heterogenous liquids such as water with a small oil content on offshore oil platforms. In one such apparatus, that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,837, issued Oct. 27, 1987 to Y. Lecoffre and J. Woillez, an oil/water mixture is flowed axially to the upstream end of a rotating cylindrical chamber with the rotation providing a centripetal force which causes the heavier water to concentrate away from the axis of rotation and the lighter oil to concentrate along the axis of rotation. The water/oil mixture flows downstream through the chamber with separation occurring in the manner just mentioned. The water is then removed by an annular opening and the oil is removed by an axial opening.
Other related devices are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,714, issued Jan. 28, 1975 to J.D. Boadway, in German Patentschrift DD 221 093 A1 of V. Heineck and M. Markert of Apr. 17, 1975, French Patent Publication 2 588 778, J. Woillez, P. Grisard, R. Pacitti and J-C. Gay published Apr. 24, 1987, French Patent Publication 2 588,779, J. Woillez, P. Grisard, R. Pacitti and J-C. Gay published Apr. 24, 1987, and Patent Co-Operation Treaty Publication W087/06159, published Oct. 22, 1987.
The aforementioned prior art structures either do not have a rotating sleeve component to provide maximum separation or must have their stationary components very carefully aligned for optimal results. Furthermore, such structures do not handle entrained gaseous species, usually air, in an adequate manner. Still further, the structures of the prior art generally must operate at relatively high pressure differentials thereby requiring relatively heavy duty construction and resulting added costs.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.